Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related home confinement on the refractive error of school-aged children in Germany: a cross-sectional study based on data from 414 eye care professional centres.

Autor:	Sanz Diez P; Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany pablo.sanzdiez@zeiss.com.; Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, Aalen, Germany., Ohlendorf A; Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.; Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, Aalen, Germany., Barraza-Bernal MJ; Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, Aalen, Germany., Kratzer T; Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, Aalen, Germany., Wahl S; Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.; Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, Aalen, Germany.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	BMJ open [BMJ Open] 2023 Nov 21; Vol. 13 (11), pp. e071833. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 21.
DOI:	10.1136/bmjopen-2023-071833
Abstrakt:	Objective: This study aimed at evaluating refractive changes in German school-aged children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: 414 eye care professional centres from Germany. Participants: Refractive data from 59 926 German children aged 6-15 years were examined over a 7-year period (2015-2021). Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Spherical equivalent refraction was assessed as a function of year, age and gender. The refractive values concerning 2020 and 2021 were compared with those assigned to prior years (2015-2019). Results: The refractive data associated with 2020 and 2021 showed a myopic refractive shift of approximately -0.20D compared with the 2015-2019 range. The refractive change was statistically considerable in the 6 to 11-year range (p<0.05), while from 12 to 15 years was negligible (p≥0.10). Percentage of myopes was also impacted in 2021 (p=0.002), but not in 2020 (p=0.25). From 6 to 11 years, the percentage of myopes in 2021 increased significantly by 6.02% compared with the 2015-2019 range (p≤0.04). The highest percentage increase occurred at 8 and 10 years of age, showing a rise of 7.42% (p=0.002) and 6.62% (p=0.005), respectively. From 12 to 15 years, there was no significant increase in the percentage of myopes in 2021 (p≥0.09). Percentage of myopes in 2020 was not influenced at any age (p≥0.06). Conclusion: Disruption of normal lifestyle due to pandemic-related home confinement appears to lead to a myopic refractive shift in children aged 6-11 years in Germany. The greater effect observed at younger ages seems to emphasise the importance of refractive development in this age group. Competing Interests: Competing interests: All authors declare no competing interests. (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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